Conman's Charm
by MusicOfMadness
Summary: Tamaki was a selfless teen that won the hearts of those around him as he attempted to make everyone he meets happy, but when a deceased conman takes the body of one René Tamaki Richard de Grantaine Suoh, then things are bound to end up differently. Doesn't really help that he now has no reason to con for money. He supposes that he can just settle for people's hearts instead.
1. Prince Conman's Awakening

I supposed that in a sense, this could be considered ironic. As I surround myself in fine silks and eat off porcelain plates, I couldn't help but wonder on why they would waste a perfectly good five-star meal on a child such as myself. Glancing both ways, I wrapped a dinner roll in the fine napkin and tugged it on my lap for later; there was no sense in wasting the meal.

'If only they could see me now,' I scoffed as I glanced up at the crystal chandelier and wondered just how much money that alone costed. After tallying up the amount of a teardrop shaped crystal, I quickly dropped the attempt.

"Young master, does the meal not satisfy you?" A male spoke up, bowing at the waist despite how degrading it must have felt.

"Everything is fine." A smile easily jumped to my lips in order to show childish enthusiasm, uncomfortably tugging at my young skin. My face was still not used to this. "It's actually better than I can hope for, though it's a bit much for someone like me."

The meaning behind my words must have confused the man as he instantly countered me, uncomfortably shifting in his spot.

"Nothing is too good for you, young master. The De Grantaine household gave me the honor to serve you. It is the peak of a chef's career to be serving this fine household name."

'Laying it on a bit thick there.' Nevertheless, I shook my head in good faith. I understood where the man was coming from, one word from me and I could potentially ruin his whole career or boost it. He was saving his own skin and I can respect that.

"It's fine. Honestly, you're probably wasting your talent by being cooped up here." Soft smile here, childish tilt of the head there. "Opening a restaurant would be more up your alley."

"You flatter me, young master."

 _Hook_

"Did mother eat yet? I can bring the tray there myself if she hasn't."

 _Line_

His eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed. I could vaguely see that he was angling toward the kitchen doors, perhaps to go talk to the kitchen staff.

 _And Sinker_

"No, I was just about to send a maid to deliver her tray in minute. We can take care of it, so you should stay and eat while your food is hot."

Humming, I weighed the alternatives before ultimately bowing down to his suggestion. Discretely watching his change in attitude, I looked up at him through my lashes.

"Okay. I want to eat dessert with Mama, though, so just tell me when and I can take them to her myself."

"Of course, Master Rene. Enjoy your meal."

My eyes latched onto the man's gait as he pushed his way across the outrageously large dining hall. Licking my lower lip of some stray soup, I contemplated if his good mood would be noticed and if he would spread his favorable opinion about me to the wait staff.

'Of course he will, the adults already are falling head over heels for me.' My teeth tore into a slice of bread as I hunched in my chair.

"Huh, I'm already rich and I'm still trying to con people." I stuck my tongue out as I raised an eyebrow at myself. Honestly, the culture shock would've gotten to me by now if I wasn't so used to weaseling my way into the homes of rich men and women.

'Or maybe it has,' the thought had me pausing, unnecessarily leaving my dipped bread in the soup for too long. It's been about a year and I still had no idea what to do with myself. I spent a majority of my life toeing the thin line of morality so that I could schmooze my way through life, but ironically dying was what accomplished it; who knew dying would lead to riches? But now money obviously wasn't an issue and I'd never have to worry about basic education, so basically my whole life was already planned out for me before it even really began. At first it was reassuring, but that idea gets terribly old really fast.

Maybe it was just an innate reaction, but charming the people of the De Grantaine household become a sort of pastime for me in my months slinking around as a child. My theory of beautiful people having an easier time getting what they want had better results than I expected as the workers around the house obviously fell for my little kid charm. Caring, sweet, and quiet was the type of kid everyone fell for, but it only made me laugh when they searched for their missing wallet which they swore was in their back pocket.

No one ever suspects the quiet child.

Eventually, it turned into a mini fiasco when they mysteriously found their wallets back in place with more money than it had before. Some of the wait staff actually _swore_ that there was a ghost in the west corridor and subsequently refused to step foot in there after nightfall.

But I digress, my childish antics can only hold my attention for so long. An adult stuck in the body of a beautiful rich boy was an interesting idea, but the novelty of being a zombie conman in a mini-adult wears off when you're forced into jammies by seven and lights off at eight.

'Maybe I'll just monopolize a corner of the market in the future. Force the competitors out with low prices then become the only option left for consumers.' I mused to myself before breaking out at my thoughts to flash wide eyes at a fresh-faced maid as she slipped me a small tart with a finger held in front of her lips conspiratorially. Childish hands instantly copied the movement, leaving the maid to giggle cheerfully before disappearing once more, no doubt taking care of the multitude of tasks that never seems to diminish. My eyes lingered at the corner she turned before I huffed in amusement and picked up a silver fork to brutally destroy the edible artwork, and callously shove it into my mouth.

As always, the food was delicious.

'Well,' my thoughts slowed as my eyes turned out the window, 'maybe I'll keep the charades up for a little while longer.'

* * *

Anne-Sophie wasn't a very interesting woman, I'll admit. While she was undeniably kindhearted and beautiful, she was abhorrently naïve. No doubt her blue blood roots disconnected her from reality as she continued to hold out hope for her prince charming to forever stay at the castle.

Of course, I met the man a couple of time, but he never struck me as someone I would care about. If I had to describe him in a couple words, then they'd be "inactive" and "weak". Their quiet conversations during his visits about some controlling matriarch and excuses quickly lead me to connect how he was hoping for it to all work out, continuing to squirm under his mother's heels.

It's pathetic.

And I couldn't help but think that as the man bent down in front of me and flashed me a dazzling smile, turning the charm up to max capacity. I didn't bother to tell him that a brief meeting ever few months was enough to make me feel familial love for the man. Blandly, I smiled at, probably appearing unsure as he slipped a gold bracelet around my wrist, making sure to linger his hold on my hand before stepping away.

"Happy Birthday, Rene!" Anne-Sophie took her place next to Yuzuru and slipped her arms into his. "I'm sorry I missed your actual birth date, but I couldn't leave Japan sooner and I felt like I needed to give you my present in person."

"It's fine." The lie slipped out easily. Or was it not a lie? I didn't really care either way. "Grandmother probably needed you for something, so I don't mind. Besides, my birthday comes every year."

Their shoulders nervously rolled and the corners of their mouths became a little more stressed at the mention of the matriarch, but I paid it no mind as I charged on.

"But thank you for the gift, father. It must have taken you a while to find what you wanted."

"Think nothing of it, my dear son," _I won't_ , "nothing's too good for you."

"Dear, why don't we sit down for a birthday dinner?" Anne-Sophie quietly cut in, herding us into a poor attempt at an intimate family setting. Unfortunately for her, the table was a bit too wide for us to be comfortably sitting close to each other. I doubt the both of them noticed, though, probably used to distance to notice how awkward it was.

'Not even my conman charm can get me out of this hell,' a grimace was suppressed and the dinner went on rather quietly with only Anne-Sophie and Yuzuru making conversation. Otherwise, I went with the unspoken rule that children were supposed to be seen, not heard.

"Tamaki." I almost frowned at the name, but caught myself as I casted a quizzical look at my father. I could only guess as to why he insisted upon calling me by my Japanese name at certain times, but I never looked too much into it. Without speaking, I gestured that I was listening.

"I know that both your mother and you have been separated from me for… quite a while." I didn't even need to comment on that downplay. "But I've been speaking with mother and I think maybe I'll be able to move you both to the estate."

"With her?" My face was carefully neutral as I let some of my pessimism leak through my words. "Or do you mean that we'll be living in a side home?"

"Ah, well… I suppose we'll have to work that out later." Yuzuru instantly brightened as he called for the wait staff to bring out the cake, effectively cutting off the conversation as my parents shared looks of wariness.

I didn't miss the subtle conversation. While I may be fairly new to the scene, I could tell some of the social factors of Yuzuru's culture made it difficult for us to be together. Discounting the obvious fact that he had an illegitimate son with a woman that is not his wife, but he also subtly disrespected his elder by going against his mother's orders and having a child with a _foreigner_. He disgraced her and made her look bad with his actions, the highest insult in the eyes of many, and so we were casted away like unsightly trash. My appearance as a more European looking kid didn't help the matter, so her disdain for me showed and the pettiness was almost palatable. Of course, I only had to meet the woman once when I was "studying", so I didn't really have to speak to her (thank the gods).

Other than her passing "filthy child" comment, I didn't have to grace the old bitch with the time of day.

'Cultural subtleties are tiring.' A yawn passed through my lips and Yuzuru made a joke, but I didn't take the bait and let his teasing die before it could begin. The maid must have sensed the tension in the room as she clapped her hands, glancing at my parents before doing so, and cheerfully congratulated me on being older.

'Oh the patronizing. How I love being a child.' I smiled brightly at the young woman, mentally noting that she was one that usually let me sleep-in in the morning.

It wasn't long before that that Yuzuru disappeared back to Japan, leaving to Anne-Sophie's condition to "mysteriously" worsen at his departure. Shaking my head, I granted her some solace by sitting by her bedside, or half-heartedly playing the piano. She smiled distractedly at me, seeing me as the proof of her and Yuzuru's love, but I couldn't fault her too much in that.

I may not be empathetic, but I can recognize a pitiful scene when I see one.

* * *

"Master Rene," a tittering maid nervously fluttered at the door as I raised my head to look at her. At the raise of my eyebrows, she hesitantly bowed before glancing behind her in worry.

"Madam Shizue is here to see you."

'Ah, I can see why everyone's nervous.' I nodded to the woman as the corners of my lips pulled back and I shut the book in my hands closed.

"Thank you, Claudette. Will you take me to her?"

"A-Ah, of course, Master Rene." She paused for a moment before combing my light brown hair with her fingers and straightening out my school uniform, then leading me quietly through the halls. In a way, I guess I should be happy about the worry-filled glances from the caretakers, or at least happy that I have them wrapped around my finger, but nothing could distract me from the impeding headache called Shizue Suoh.

"Filthy child."

A polite smile graced my lips as the maid winced as she backed out of the room. I see the eighty year old child (how old is she really) doesn't waste time.

"Grandmother, it is a pleasure to see you. I hope your travels went well."

"Speak when spoken to." She instantly chided, not-so-subtly casting a disdainful glance at Anne-Sophie who was quietly sitting across from Yuzuru. I frowned internally.

'She feels powerful enough to impose herself on someone else's house and has the gall to speak like this.' The message was not lost on me. 'She knows she holds power over everyone here and she wants people to take note.'

If you could say anything positive about the old bat, it would be that she has an iron grip on power.

Wisely keeping my mouth shut, there's no use arguing with her right now, I let the woman continue as I stood in front of her. No doubt she'd take some type of offense at me sitting without being told.

"I came here to make a proposition." Shizue declared. "Tamaki is to go to Japan and live his life there. Everything will be arranged as to be ready by the time he gets there, but he is to cut off all ties with you once he arrives."

She ignored the plain look of shock that settled onto Anne-Sophie's pretty face and charged ahead, regally holding her head high as she proposed, no, _demanded_ her conditions.

"In exchange, you will be financially secure and the De Grantaine household will not fall into debt." The thinly veiled threat jarred Anne-Sophie more than it had me, but even I was reeling slightly from the audacity. Silence fell briefly on us and before I knew it, I was speaking.

"You need me."

"Do not speak."

"I'm the only blood heir to the Suoh Company and even if you don't put me into power, you need me as a figurehead or else the company will fall to someone else's family."

"You let your son speak to his elders like this?" The insult to her rearing abilities was clear, causing the blonde woman to duck her head and apologize, but I was never one to really care about consequences.

"She doesn't have anything to do with it. I speak my mind and I'll give respect to authority when it is earned." The fury her eyes held delighted me more than I can ever say, but to my displeasure and confusion, it was cut short when Anne-Sophie broke through the tension with a pained voice.

"I'll do it." Her mouth was set into a line with tears collecting at the corners of her eyes, making them shiny under the dining room's lighting. "Bring… bring Rene to Japan, I will stop contacting him."

"… Very well," quick words were muttered to the butlers behind her before she stood with hands smoothed out in front of her. "You have made the correct decision. Tamaki will be leaving within the next five hours. Get ready and do not be late, a Suoh driver will come to pick him up."

And then she swept out of the room, taking all the cold and bitterness with her. Quietly, my blue eyes were trained on her figure, mulling over my thoughts as the abruptness of the conversation finally settled with me. It was only until I heard a quiet sob that I turned to my mother and kneeled next to her chair, taking her hand in an empty show of compassion.

"Why did you accept so easily?" I questioned gently. It wouldn't do if she suddenly become a sobbing mess. I was never quite that good with comforting others.

"You need a better life, Rene. You spend all your time here instead of making friends all because of me. You don't even get to see your father because our situation, and going to Japan will give you more opportunities to live than I could ever offer you." Her shoulders quivered and I briefly caught the eyes of sullen worker before they turned away to get some tea.

No doubt, my face was in a carefully neutral state. Mother was a very sweet woman with nothing but the thoughts of others in her head, but she couldn't be more delusional.

'She actually believes that me moving to Japan will magically fix everything.' I watched silently as she put a hand over her mouth in misery. 'Does she even realize the troubles an illegitimate half child would receive from going to a country like Japan? Shizue is one thing, but she actually believes that Yuzuru will protect me.'

I fell silent. I didn't understand her thought process. Who could be so naïve? So trusting?

'She's the perfect victim,' my mind whispered to me. And it was true. She had all the marks of someone that I'd con out of their money or use to gain a foothold to greater figures.

"… I misjudged her." My eyes flashed as I remembered the bitter satisfaction that shifted in her dark eyes. "She doesn't need me. She just wants to punish us with misery."

If Anne-Sophie cried harder, I didn't make a show of acknowledging it. And with a numb feeling in my chest, I watched as the heartbreak visibly mold onto her face as she watched with several faces visible in windows of the mansion as my car smoothly pulled out of the long driveway. Even through the thick siding of the jet black limousine, a faint feminine cry met my ears.

"You really are a pitiable woman." I whispered to myself before turning my eyes away from the window. There was no use watching anymore.

Anne-Sophie dumped me into life of being under Shizue Suoh's thumb.

'And I'll be damned if I let her.'

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So this concludes the first chapter/prologue of this story. And before any of you say anything, yes, I know Tamaki has blond hair and purple eyes in the anime, but I'm actually going by the coloration stated in the manga.

Anyway, the chapter actually came our more seriously than I was actually intending it to be, but I guess that was a given since I was trying to put some subtle cultural differences within the conversations. I've seen people romanticize Japan and Korea's culture way too much and they don't seem to realize that there's just as much dirt as there is beauty within it, so I just wanted to make my story a bit more realistic in that regard.

Despite the serious tone, I hope that it was interesting enough. I can honestly say that future chapters will be more light-hearted despite the fact that my Tamaki is, well, a manipulative ass. But that just comes with the territory of being a conman in the past.

Thoughts and comments would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	2. And the Dark Lord Enters

If I had to be honest about this school, I would say that it was boring as fuck. A bunch of sheltered, rich kids who didn't know just how good they had it. Of course, they were also good little kids who listened to daddy, but that didn't stop their asshole-ish nature and feeling entitled.

Sighing, my blue eyes slid from the pristine white walls to the glasses wearing boy next to me. I could tell he was silently fuming, probably frustrated at me and the situation, but I didn't say anything. This kid is probably one of those entitled assholes who thinks everyone should be paying attention to them. Either way, he sure covers up his annoyance well.

"And this hallway would be for the arts, ranging from dance to acrobatics."

Distractedly, I looked at the window with a noticeable sigh. Man, I wish I could just roam the streets right now.

"Suoh-san, is there a problem?"

I paused. What should I tell him? Maybe I could throw him a bone, he's been patient with me for quite some time.

"… Where is the most secluded place in this school?"

"Secluded?" He slid the glasses up the bridge of his nose, shielding his eyes from me. "I suppose that would be the rose gardens in the high school division. May I ask what your reason is?"

His lean body turned toward me and for the first time, I was able to see his face without that annoying glare reflecting off of his eyepiece. Easily, I could say that this guy was attractive, unfairly so, but I guess I couldn't complain.

'I guess everyone is attractive here.' The thought occurred to me as I thought about a girl I passed on the street. She had long brown hair and doe-like eyes, but I didn't get to look much longer when the Suoh staff caught me and dragged me into the limo; something about it not being fitting for an heir to be walking around like some common pauper.

'Little did they know, I'm actually a pauper in a rich body.' Blinking, I shook away the thought before regarding the boy with a bland expression.

"No reason, was thinking that maybe I could take people there and romance them."

"People?" He looked caught off guard. His dark lashes fluttering briefly before his cool expression came back. My eyes narrowed a smidgen.

'Damn, he really is too pretty.'

"Ah, right." I stuck my tongue out. "Kiss, don't tell. But since you're so curious, I don't really care about what gender someone is. I make people fall for me regardless of their station and biology."

His mouth opened slightly. I leaned in a little bit closer.

Was he going to say something?

His mouth closed before he nodded.

"I suppose it is no place for me to judge."

A sigh of disappointment almost left me. I could've sworn that this guy would have been more interesting than that. Now in a bad mood, I shoved my hands into my uniform's white trousers before turning my back on him.

"This tour is done, isn't it? I'm gonna go now. Thanks for the whatever," the pause I made as I tried to recall his name obviously irritated him as he _oh so helpfully_ filled in the gap.

"Kyoya Ootori."

"Right." The name immediately slipped my mind. This boring guy wasn't someone worth my time and I'll probably never have to intimately get to know his ulterior motives. So with an uncaring wave, I stalked off in a random direction, ignoring the gawking girls along the way.

'What a boring school.'

* * *

To say the least, I didn't expect this to happen. Frowning to myself, I mulled over the chances of this happening as I took another sip from my champagne flute. In short, somehow I got pushed into becoming "friends" with that one kid who gave me a tour.

Well, not really. Yuzuru held a sort of party for powerful families to meet each other and for their heirs to make connections with each other, of course he didn't so crassly describe it as such. It was just a "simple" party that'll help me to get to know my classmates and make friends since I'm new to Japan.

'Simple my ass.' I eyed the extravagant spread of food on the table and the vintage wine that they decided was a good thing for the kid's section of the party, for some odd reason. I decided then and there that this was only going to end badly.

"Sorry, but what was your name again?"

"Kyoya. Ootori."

"Right, that." I said absently, glancing at him from the corner of my eye when he sighed irately. I blinked before leaning my elbows against the balcony railing, faintly acknowledging how the main mansion had a slightly better view than the side mansion I live in. Though, that wasn't what was capturing most of my attention right now.

"Why do you even try to be my friend? You obviously don't like me and you're pretty bland to me, so really neither of us win here." I asked, breaking my silence and reluctance to get involved.

Kyoya instantly scowled and his dark eyes swirled with annoyance while his fingers clutched the wine glass a little more harshly.

"I would normally say that I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm not going to dance around the subject." He paused for a second. "At least, not with you."

"Great, why don't you tell me, then? Let me guess, daddy-dearest wanted you to befriend the Suoh heir so that you'd cement your place in society?"

"Don't play smart with me." Kyoya's eyebrows furrowed and for a second, I thought he'd snap at me; instead, he snapped his head back and downed the wine before passing it off to a nearby maid.

"I'm guessing that you understand the importance of pleasing your parents. It is our duty to help our companies to the best of our abilities, so of course I'd try to befriend you even if my father hadn't ordered me to."

I swirled my drink around, gazing out into the dark gardens below. As interesting as this was, this guy didn't have much of a reason to make the both of us irate.

"I know what you're talking about, but I can't really say I relate to what you said." I shrugged before downing the rest of my drink, scowling when I forgot to savor the vintage taste. Damn, I'm squandering my liquid money. Kyoya was ruining my night in more than one way now. "Listen, why don't you go cry to daddy about it. Tell him I have no interest in taking over the Suoh business and then you can go home. You're making the wine taste bad."

I had just enough time to switch my empty glass with a full one when I was suddenly spun around by an angry Kyoya, his glasses skewed just a bit to give me full view of the tumultuous storm behind his eyes.

"You have the perfect set up! You're the only child to a successful and respected family, but you don't even want to take advantage of it? Do you even know how many people would die to trade places with you?!"

Vaguely aware of the fingers digging into my shoulders, I kept my face neutral through the tipsy stupor. I blinked before realizing just how I excited I was.

'Guess he was more interesting than he seemed.' Still, I found myself speaking blandly.

"Kyoya, you're drunk."

"And whose fault do you think it is?!" His alcohol-laced breath puffed against my face, leaving my skin feeling warm and uncomfortably wet against the night air. "I just wanted to get what I want and leave, but you dragged it out for too long!"

He leaned unsteadily toward me, clearly unable to completely support himself, and it suddenly occurred to me that he might've been a light weight. Good grief, he shouldn't have slammed those drinks down. When my arms came up to steady him, I found myself moving slightly slower than usual.

'Guess I drank too much, too.'

"You…" He let out a breath. "You're so… annoying. Why… you couldn't have been normal?"

And it was at a time like this that I found an inner need, an uncomfortable pit in my stomach guiding me, leaning me forward. Our lips brushed for a split second, it wasn't much and it certainly wasn't worth the reaction either.

Stumbling, I caught myself against the balcony's railing as Kyoya glared heatedly.

"I'm," he suppressed a burp, "not gay." The noir haired teen swayed and, honestly speaking, he looked pretty shit-faced.

"Alright," I pressed a palm to my forehead as I tried to fight off the nausea that threatened to make me throw up. Beating off the unpleasant vertigo, I continued. "Alright, okay. Just… Just wait here, will ya? It won't look good for either of us if we're caught drunk off our asses."

Whether he understood or not, I didn't know, but I took his grunt as a good sign and breathed deeply before I wandered back into the dining hall. Wading through the gaggles of teens and adults, I finally found the man I wanted standing within a group of rather hoidy-toidy looking people.

"Excuse me, Ootori-san?" A smile wobbled onto my lips as several gazes turned toward me. Their conversations slowed, obviously trying to catch why the Suoh heir would want to talk to _the_ Ootori.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but I'd like to ask if Kyoya-san may stay over for the night?"

'Geezus, I feel like I'm going to vomit.' I swallowed heavily and watched Yoshio Ootori raise an eyebrow in curiosity. I wasn't in the mood to be interrogated, so I spoke up before I could be dragged into a conversation.

"I found out we had more in common than I thought. I thought that we could get to know each other."

"I see." Irritation hit me when Yoshio pushed his glasses up. Like father, like son, I guess. "I suppose I could see to it that his responsibilities can be put on hold for a while."

"Thank you, Ootori-san. I appreciate it." I bowed slightly to him and the other adults as I muttered my goodbyes, hightailing it when I saw the opportunity.

"Stupid ass kid and his inability to hold his wine." I grouched darkly to myself while I skirted through teens, I'm looking at you girl with the hair ribbons, who looked like they were ready to jump me.

"It's not like we were doing shots or anything, yet he gets wasted on vintage wine. What a waste…" With my hands on my hips, I stared at Kyoya as he leaned over the railing, vomiting and most likely coating the poor rose bushes below.

"I feel awful." He groaned miserably, hanging his head and letting his forehead rest against the metal railing. For once, I felt sympathy for the kid. His hangover is gonna be a bitch. Softly, I patted his back.

"Come on, let's get you to my room. I have a bucket and glass of water calling your name." And with that, we both left the scene relatively unnoticed before passing out in a random room on the way to my room. Suffice to say, neither of us were feeling too hot by the time morning graced us.

* * *

Waking up this morning was the most unpleasant experience I've had ever since I came into this world of riches. Groggily, I used the back of my hand to wipe away the drool from my mouth, and pushed myself onto my forearms, my movements heavy. Honestly, I had almost forgotten about Kyoya as my eyes slid to the boy sitting on the other side of the bed, tracing his hunched form before I silently shrugged my shirt on.

He seemed to be nursing a rather wicked headache, judging by the way he pressed his palms against his eyes. He didn't even notice the bed shift when I got up.

I threw back a pain pill and silently stared at the figure. What was I supposed to say? If we ignored all the vomiting and curses, we've pretty much established that we didn't like each other. Breathing in deeply, I stared at the scenery outside the sheer window curtains. If I hadn't known better I would've stayed in the room longer, the scenery was nice and it was rather peaceful, but I knew when to not push my luck. It would be best if I left the main house as soon as I could.

'But I guess that can wait for now.' I tore my eyes away from the muted sunlight, moving forward before my eyes could adjust to the dim room. Softly, I sat myself on the edge of the bed while keeping my gaze forward.

"I wasn't lying about not being able to relate. I'm not really the heir to the company, I'm more of a figurehead since my grandmother hates me and Yuzuru will probably take over the company until he kicks the bucket." I passed the glass of water over to him. "Drink that, it'll help."

Despite the groggy confusion on his face, I took a drink before bringing myself back on topic. "Anyway, I have no interest in waiting for something that I'll never get to be a part of, so I'm going to denounce the title once I get out of high school. I'm sure that'll get that harpy to blow a gasket."

There was a short period of silence before a pained groan came from him.

"Uh, I was hoping that I made up that unsightly scene in my head." His already pale skin looked white as a sheet as he muttered to himself under his breath. Kyoya scrubbed his hands against his face "How am I going to explain my absence to father?"

"Don't worry about that. I already asked if you could stay over last night."

"…That was… thoughtful of you." Whatever he was thinking I couldn't tell, but the small sigh he released made it seem like he was a tad bit relieved. We stared at each other for a second before we broke eye contact and turned our attention to our drinks.

"Don't worry about it." I said lowly. "I'm guessing that daddy dearest is the source of your troubles?"

"Of all the people to know…" Kyoya muttered under his breath. I don't think he meant for me to hear that, but I won't bother him about it; it wasn't really worth it at the moment. Regardless, he sighed as his hand raised to his face, seemingly noticing for the first time that his glasses were missing; with squinted eyes, he looked around until I leaned over him and grabbed the glasses from the nightstand, passing it to him silently.

"I suppose that you probably connected the dots already. Yes, in a way my father is a part of my problem, but it is not his fault. I'm the third son in my family, so there is no chance for me to be the successor to my father. Yuuichi and Akito are very talented people, so it only makes sense."

Kyoya's face looked rather blank, but at a closer look, I could see the avarice roiling in his eyes, a dark look that threatened to twist his features into something hideous. Blinking, my mouth opened slightly at the familiar expression before I huffed in amusement.

'Mister perfect isn't as tame as I thought.'

"You wanna be the boss of the Ootori family, right? To be the patriarch?" A smirk stretched onto my face. "But to me, it sounds like you gave up already."

"Don't fuck with me."

I chuckled as the teen cringed, growling so enthusiastically must have made his head pound.

'Someone's cranky in the morning.'

"I'll get to the point.' His dark eyes followed me as I stood, centering myself in his field of vision with a rather cocky expression. 'Neither of us seem to like being pushed around by our circumstances, so how about we team up and show those fuckers what they're messin' with?"

"… You call that a convincing argument?" He scoffed as I shot him a flat expression. I was going for casual, so sue me. Regardless, it surprised me when he huffed in amusement and took the proffered hand with a smirk. His pale, cold fingers were a shock to my rather warm ones, but something about his expression made me pause in my commentary.

He seemed… different. Better.

"I accept. If you're as much of a wildcard as I've seen so far, then I'm willing to invest in this friendship and see where it takes me." His smile curled dangerously and for a second, the room seemed to darken, making it difficult for me to see. The only thing in clear view were his eyes and the glint of light that was casted off of them.

"… Did anyone ever tell you you're evil when you have just woken up?"

"I'd imagine they would if they wake me up as rudely as this headache."

"Ah, you're back to being all cool again." He raised an eyebrow smoothly, almost as if he was emptying his stomach hours prior.

"You think I'm cool?"

"More witty and an ass, but cool is another way to describe it." I quirked a playful smirk at the boy before rising from the bed and smoothing out the black slacks I was forced into last night. Dress pants were definitely not suitable pajamas, but I made it work.

"Now come on, let's go get some hangover food before Miss Royal Pain in the Ass catches me in _her_ mansion."

Kyoya followed smoothly, correcting his glasses without a care as he glanced at me in the corner of his eyes. "I have a feeling that I'm going to have many future headaches from our little deal."

"If you're gonna be that angry every time you wake up, then I'll go out on a limb and say that you're not gonna be the only one."

We regarded each other coolly before smiling in acceptance. In jest, I stepped forward to open the door, bowing down and making a grand gesture towards the dark haired teen while I glanced at him through my lashes.

"After you, my dark lord."

"Of course, my nefarious prince."

I had to say, this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


	3. Cornered in Thorns and Roses

It was a rather calm day. Kyoya was able to get his homework done before class ended and he had gotten his quiz back with nothing but a perfect score. What was even better was that he hadn't seen Rene, thus he hasn't been teased or taunted all day.

"Kyoya~" Said teen wasn't able to turn before a force collided with him and an arm wrapped around his shoulders. A disgruntled glare was shot toward the light haired brunet, but it didn't garner him much of a reaction when his friend chose to shoot a disarming smile toward the girl Kyoya was just talking to. Maybe he spoke too soon.

"Sorry, princess. I just saw Kyoya and I guess I got a little excited, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important."

"Oh, no, no!" The girl's face flushed a pretty pink as she waved the faux concern off. "We were just talking, I'm sure you have something more important to discuss, Tamaki-san."

"Just Tamaki is fine, babe." Kyoya almost rolled his eyes when he winked at the girl. It was one thing for Tamaki to be so openly flirtatious, but it's another to see that a girl was actually falling for it. "Forgive me, but I'd like to talk to my _dear_ friend."

Kyoya managed to squeeze in a farewell right before Tamaki dragged him away, linking his arms with his own lanky pair. To be totally honest, Kyoya still hasn't gotten used to Tamaki's eccentricities, but he couldn't exactly say he was the worst company to be around.

"How you doin', sweetheart? Wooing the ladies so early in the day?"

"It's already past noon, it's hardly 'early in the day', Tamaki." Said boy grinned at hearing the scoff in his new friend's voice. Of course, their newfound friendship practically become a hot topic once they stepped foot on campus together. A lot of the girls, and some guys, were excited to see two of the most attractive guys in the grade acting friendly toward each other; though, understandably so, some interpreted their being together as another one of Tamaki's flirtatious advances.

"Didn't deny my accusations, I see." He stuck his tongue out as Kyoya snapped open a textbook, disregarding him intentionally. "But it does seem like you're a bit more charismatic lately."

"Was I not before?"

"Not exactly," Tamaki said flatly as twin flashes of auburn caught his eye, making him follow the two boys with his gaze until one of them caught his eyes and sent him a rather nasty glare.

'What a disgusting haircut.' He raised his eyebrows at their hostility, but shook it off in order to return his attention back to Kyoya.

"What I'm saying is that you seem to be a bit more interested in people, _genuinely_ interested." He nipped the retort in the bud. "It shows, buddy, showing genuine interest tends to make people feel like they matter. I'd say that's quite an improvement."

Tamaki laughed while shooting a smile at the teen. He knew that he was irritating the short tempered, because he did have a short temper despite how well he hid it, 15 year old, but Tamaki took pride in successfully getting a rise out of him.

"While I would love to stay and chat, Tamaki, but I must be getting home. Father has returned and he is expecting me to be present at dinner, I have to complete my readings as soon as I can."

"Always the studious one, huh?" The brunet teen tucked his arms behind his head in feigned boredom. "You should just relax once in a while. I'm sure that your asshole brother can't constantly monitor you 24/7, he won't know if you decide to take a couple of hours off."

"His name is Akito, and do take care to not insult him. He does succeed me in terms of education and experience at the moment." Kyoya slid his glasses up as his friend shrugged uncaringly. "Regardless, you should do well to keep your grades up. I know you can do better than what your current grades suggest."

"Sue me, not my fault if I'd rather go to town than hit the books." Tamaki hurriedly pushed against Kyoya's back, urging him to start walking. He knew the earful he'd get if he let Kyoya get on his soap box, might as well get a move on before it could come to that.

"Anyway, you should get going. And don't worry, mom, I'll get my homework done for the night."

"You are such a child." Kyoya sighed to himself. "But I suppose I do have work to do. Will we meet later to discuss this idea of yours you mentioned earlier?"

Tamaki nodded in confirmation, watching as Kyoya left shortly in an ostentatious limousine. He wondered briefly if he should go find Megumi from class B and flirt with her, or perhaps Mei from A, but he ultimately ignored the options.

'Nah, I feel like going to the rose gardens alone this time.' His blue eyes closed in slight irritation. 'Hopefully those year 1 students from the high school won't ambush me this time.'

When his eyes opened, he was a bit surprised to see a boy standing before him. Briefly, he wondered what exactly the teen's name was, going through a list of names before ultimately coming up empty handed and staring at the guy with raised eyebrows.

"May I help you?"

"You Tamaki Suoh?"

Judging by the disgruntled and rather… aggressive expression the guy had on, Tamaki contemplated lying to the dark haired teen. Logically, he knew that it was a bit hard to hide in a place where he was so well known, so he bit the bullet and nodded calmly at the taller male.

"That would be me. Is there a problem?"

"You flirting with my girl, Suoh?"

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

'Dropping suffixes so early? I'm insulted.' He almost rolled his eyes, then groan when a name finally came to him. 'Oh man, lover crazy Ryouta has beef with me? Just my luck."

"What's your 'girl's' name again?"

"You know exactly what it is, asshole!" Immediately, Tamaki found himself against a wall, his blazer twisted up in Ryouta's fists and barely able to put his heels on the ground due to how Ryouta was practically lifting him.

Frowning grimly, Tamaki suppressed a wince. He's dealt with people like him in the past, once they have an idea in their head, they wouldn't listen to reason. Awful to deal with them, but even worse when their attention is on you.

'No amount of smooth talk is gonna cut it, yet violence is a no-go in this world of riches. I'm really fucked… aren't I?'

Despite his reluctance, Tamaki attempted to reason with the teen. Better than letting him bash his pretty face in.

"Listen, I don't know what you think I've been doing, but I haven't been messing with your girlfriend. It's pretty well known that you and Naomi are together, I like to be a free agent in the dating world, but I know to be careful with other people's girlfriends and boyfriends."

"So you do know, Naomi, punk!"

"Listen to me, will ya, asshole?" Tamaki's eyebrow twitched. "I have never talked to her before, so let's calm down before we start some rumors."

'But we're probably too late on that front, judging by how some students are milling around in the corner of my eyes. Those idiots probably think this is a romantic fling and that I won't get my face bashed in.'

"Naomi and I are having a bit of a rough patch in our relationship and you saw it as a prime opportunity to steal her away. Is that it? Well, I'll teach you to steal her heart!'

Before he could talk the crazed lover down, Ryouta's fist cocked behind him, eliciting some gasps from remaining students. Tamaki's eyes widened slightly, he didn't expect to unleash Ryouta's hairpin trigger so quickly. This was going to hurt.

And hurt it did…. But not for him.

Blinking down in surprise, he watched a small blond kid stood up from his crouched position; he had a rather serious expression on his otherwise cute face as he paused for a second before speaking up.

"Beating people up for no reason is cowardly and an abuse of power. Leave and don't cause anymore trouble."

Ryouta rubbed his shoulder, growling darkly while he glared at the young boy. Tamaki was prepared for him to continue where he left off, but instead, Ryouta spat on the ground and backed away.

"Curse you, Haninozuka." And with that, he was gone.

"Are you okay?"

Tamaki blinked slowly, taken aback by several things at that moment: the tough guy act not matching this kid's face, the level of physical prowess he demonstrated, and how he was wearing a high school uniform.

"Yes…" The taller teen said slowly, staring at the supposed high schooler. "Uh, sorry, what was your name again? Isn't often that I'm the damsel in distress and a knight in shining armor comes to save me."

"I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and this is my cousin, Takashi Morinozuka."

A tall, dark haired teen appeared out of nowhere with a stoic face. Tamaki was unsure if this Takashi character didn't like him, or if we was always like that, so he rolled with it and nodded to the behemoth.

"Ah, well, thanks, Haninozuka-san. I probably wouldn't have much of a face if Ryouta had actually gone through with the punch."

Releasing the hold on the back of his neck, Tamaki blinked when he saw a spot of light purple on the ground below him. Laying innocently on its side was a cute keychain with a stuffed purple cat hanging on it, so with practiced ease, Tamaki bent down and dangled the charm in front of him.

"Huh, guess this came loose during the scuffle. Hm?"

Tamaki's eyes caught the look on Haninozuka's face, his eyes seemed to glitter as it caught the lavender cat charm, but he quickly suppressed the expression and stubbornly looked away. In curiosity, the only middle school student out of the three casted a glance at the tallest; he had a feeling that the taller male was used to this, though he wasn't sure why.

"Uh, would you like this, senpai?" He offered kindly, holding the charm out. "I don't have much use for it and you seem to like it, so…"

"N-No, I'm not really into those kinds of things." Hani's smiled twitched uncomfortably as Tamaki stared at him, not quite believing him.

"Are you sure? It's not really a big deal, so-"

"I'm sure." The small blond said all too quickly. "I, uh, I have to go! I have to lead the dojo!"

And before he could get another word in, Hani sprinted off, leaving Tamaki and Morinozuka alone in surprised silence.

"… Is he always like that?"

Mori glanced at him before looking in the direction his friend and cousin ran off to. "Ah."

'Is that a yes or no?' He scanned Mori's face for a sign, but it only looked contemplative

"Well, I really do appreciate what he did. And I tend to remember if someone does me a favor." He quirked a smile at the attractive male. "But we can address that later, I suppose you have a cousin to catch up with, senpai."

Wordlessly, Mori nodded his goodbye as he hefted Hani's forgotten book bag over his shoulder, leaving a trail of admirers gazing after him in the process.

"What a stud." Tamaki gave a low whistle, just what was with this school and its amount of abnormal students? With a hand at his chin, the gears in Tamaki's head turned as he glanced around himself, then after the two upperclassmen who left.

"Hm, this could just work out." In one swift move, his snapped his cellphone open, ringing up the only person he would consider calling. It rung for about two seconds before a smooth voice picked up, a slight amount of annoyance underlying in their questioning hum. "Hello, Kyoya? It's me. I've got another idea."

* * *

Suffice to say, Tamaki was a bit disturbed at how much information Kyoya seemed to possess. When Tamaki mentioned his encounter with the two cousins and how he needed to talk to them again, Kyoya easily provided him with a time table of their classes.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that he was a professional stalker." Tamaki blandly eyed the piece of paper, ignoring the students who stopped to gawk at the handsome middle schooler. He sighed as he made his way around the campus, trying to navigate the slightly unfamiliar scenery as he wasn't used to the high school division.

'Curse my inability to follow maps.' Carefully folding the paper in fourths, he stored it away in his uniform as he finally found the building he needed. Inside, Tamaki could hear the combined shouts of students as they punched the air, controlling their movements with precision and focus. Slipping inside without a single sound, he opted to lean against the back wall so that he could wait for the one he wanted. It wasn't long before the person he wanted took notice to his presence and called for their session to end. A few of the students glanced at him, but they quickly left him alone when they saw their captain approaching him, clutching his black belt as if to appear more manly and serious.

"Yo, Hani-senpai." A slick grin spread on Tamaki's face as he held up a white box. "Got any time to spare?"

Blinking in confusion, Hani nodded slowly before following Tamaki outside behind the high school's dojo, giving them privacy from prying eyes. Silently, Hani faced the younger teen, tilting his head slightly in curiosity as he eyed the box Tamaki held. The small cat charm hanging from the handle of the box caught his eye before he tore them away.

"Curious?" The light haired brunet smirked. "It's just a little 'thank you' gift. You helped me out quite a bit, so I figure I'd treat you to some imported cake. Special ordered it from a bakery in France, ya know? It's also a bit of bribe so that you'd consider joining the club I'm making next year."

"Really?!" Hani's eyes lit up in longing, completely ignoring and missing the part about it being a bribe, before a strained smile stretched his lips. His light brown eyes shifted around nervously as he coughed into his fist. "Ahem, I mean…. I-I don't need a gift, Suoh-san. But thank you."

"Hm?" Tamaki blinked in surprise. What a sketchy reaction. "Are you allergic to something in it then?"

"N-No, not exactly…"

"Not exactly…?" A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead. "Which is it? Yes or no?"

"I-It doesn't really matter, does it?" Hani sweated nervously as he crossed his arms defensively, confusing Tamaki more on the matter. "Eating c-cake and liking cute things aren't manly and I have to discipline myself so that I can set an example for the others."

Tamaki's mouth flapped open a little at that, closing and opening several more times as he processed the information.

"Are you kidding me?" Hani glanced at him when he heard his incredulous tone. "That's such a lame ass reason. Having a piece of cake once in a while isn't going to make people think less of you. And I see no problem in liking attractive stuff. Why are you so adamant in being something you're not?"

Because really? There was nothing to really gain from it. Everyone around seems to know about Hani's attempts and while it did garner him respect, it obviously made him upset. Why would someone willingly do that? Tamaki didn't understand. It wasn't a long con, it was just stubbornness.

"I can't." The frustration in Hani's voice was palatable as he clenched his fists. "Everyone is expecting so much out of me and I can't let them down. I'm already smaller and younger looking than everyone else, so I have to make up for it in some way. If denying myself the things I like does that, then that's what I'll do.

"There's no convincing me otherwise, so I'll have to ask you to throw that cake away and respect my decis-. Mph?!" Despite Hani's reflexes, he was surprised when a chaste kiss was placed on his lips, ending his ramblings before Tamaki suddenly disappeared. Blinking slowly, Hani finally registered how Mori now stood with them, a dark scowl and glare set on his face as he eyed the younger boy.

"Ah~" Tamaki grimaced against a rose bush as he noted how the cake box had tumbled to the ground. "That's a waste."

"Leave." A rumbling baritone caught his attention as he glanced upwards and eyed the stormy expression on Mori's face. Warily, he held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I know when I'm not wanted." And with that, he simply got up and left, leaving Hani and Mori to watch after him in silence. Neither spoke even as Hani took notice to a pink piece of paper sprawled next to the dented cake box with simple, scrawled words addressed to him.

Wincing, Tamaki eyed the cut on his palm as he walked away from the disastrous encounter. A thin trail of blood seeped from the wound, forcing him to hold it away from himself to keep it from dripping on his uniform. Normally, he would have just wiped the blood away on his clothes, but given the color of said clothes, he opted not to. At some point, he even plucked a leaf off of a random rose bush in order to try and wipe away the crimson liquid, but it did little to help so he left it to float to the marble floor as he made his way through the rose maze, his sanctuary.

"Man, that could have went better." He sighed to himself. "Maybe I'm losing my touch? Things usually don't go that badly."

Tamaki groaned as he practically collapsed against the marble table located in the rose ridden gazebo. His head tilted back, observing the collective flowers on the ceiling with half-lidded eyes in silence.

'Well, there goes my plan to recruit them. Maybe my approach was too forward? Not everyone can be like Kyoya.' With a sudden cry, Tamaki ruffled his hair with his uninjured hand in frustration.

"Fuck!" He scowled. He never did like failing, but maybe this is what he got for being so complacent with his cushy lifestyle. He probably couldn't even con his way out of a paper bag. "Kyoya will never let me hear the end of this…"

The sudden tapping of heels against the stone pavement made him pause in his internal ranting as a girl in a brown sailor uniform appeared. Her brown hair was bobbed to her chin while her mocha colored eyes stared at him in seriousness, briefly making him note how much brown was on her being.

"Suoh-san?"

"Yes?" He answered slowly, warily eyeing the girl. There was something off about her, but he couldn't remember what. He was obviously from the middle school division, but he doesn't recall ever interacting with someone like her. "Is there something you need of me?"

"I'm here to get some answers." A scowl pressed her lips downwards, causing Tamaki to raise an eyebrow.

"O-kay?" Now this was getting weird. It's not like he didn't notice how ticked off she seemed even if she spoke rather calmly. Calmly, he stood to his full height and made sure to keep the girl within sight. "May I ask your name, princess?"

"I'm Naomi, Ryouta's girlfriend."

'Fuck me. As if this day couldn't get any worse.'

"Haah~" Tamaki let out a breath as he let out a strained smile, hoping that second time's the charm in dealing with crazy lovers. "Well, nice to meet you, Naomi-san. What was it that you would like to ask me?"

"I want to know what's between you and Ryouta. If you're seeing him."

"As I've told Ryouta," he began with a frown. Can't these guys just listen to him? "I'm not seeing either of you. I have no intention of being with either of you or breaking you guys up."

"Then what about yesterday?!" Her sudden cry made him tense in surprise. Fury darkened her eyes as she stomped her heel into the pavement with gritted teeth. "People said that you and Ryouta were together. You're trying to steal him from me!"

"As I said," despite the unhinged look in Naomi's eyes, Tamaki couldn't help the annoyance and frustration that colored his tone. "I've never done anything with him. He was trying to punch me since he thought I was with you. Frankly, you're both crazy as shit, it's no wonder you're together."

"Shut up, you liar!"

Several notched clicks caught his attention and with wild eyes, he caught the sight of an orange box cutter in her hand. Her thumb was pressed against the slider, clicking the blade up a few more centimeters.

'I stand corrected...' A nervous drop of sweat rolled down his temple as he eyed the object in her hand. He was going to be seriously fucked if he somehow doesn't find a way to get around her and through the only exit out of this secluded section of the gardens. In that moment, it suddenly occurred to him that she purposefully positioned herself there, leaving him no room to escape. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and even if he dealt with a lot of shady things in the past, it didn't mean that situations like this doesn't make him nervous.

"Naomi. Put that away." He could at least hope being commanding might change her mind.

"You dirty boyfriend stealer, Ryouta and I were just on break. That doesn't mean we aren't together still." Naomi stepped forward, making Tamaki search desperately for any way out or at least a way for him to defend himself.

'Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!' He backed up slightly, finding the back of legs hitting the marble table. His already small list of options were dwindling as Naomi advanced slowly. Almost like a tiger on the prowl, her eyes never strayed from his and for once in this new life, Tamaki wasn't sure he'd be able to get out of this one. So, with one slit decision, he bolted over the other end of the table, triggering the girl and making her lunge at him with the sweep of her hand.

Narrowly clipping his arm, Tamaki didn't have any time to think about is as he slid under the table and slammed his fist into her stomach. Naomi let out a pained gasp and before she could recover, he quickly tackled her to the ground and let the box cutter skitter away from them in the scuffle.

"Gah!" Blood seeped into his mouth when Naomi's fist swung out and struck his cheek, making him bite into his tongue and fall back in a daze. The girl quickly spun to her knees and lunged for the forgotten weapon, but Tamaki's hand quickly grabbed her ankle in order to pull her away.

It worked until her other heel lashed out and scrapped against his hand, most definitely bruising it from blunt force, but he didn't have time to worry about that as Naomi quickly came upon him. Tamaki's eyes widened in panic as he grabbed the girl's wrists, barely restraining her from plunging the blade into him as she sneered down at him with a screech.

"Damn you!"

And before Tamaki could pick a god and pray, the struggling was over all of a sudden when a blur of periwinkle and black took over. New rounds of screeching and cursing filled the air as Tamaki sat up in a daze, looking around in confusion until he saw a familiar boy restraining Naomi. The stern look on his face didn't change even when he let her go, making her howl in rage and seething at him; she seemed to understand the situation, though, because she quickly turned tail and fled from the way she came.

Tamaki's chest heaved in surprise and adrenaline. Silence filled the area.

'Just… What just happened?' Though the danger was gone, Tamaki was still shaking from the adrenaline and it didn't stop even as Mori addressed him.

"Are you okay?"

Struggling for words, Tamaki breathed before nodding at Mori's back. "Y-Yeah, just a little damaged in the facial region, but not too bad…"

The silence lapsed over them again and slowly, Tamaki began to get his footing back. His breath slowed and the adrenaline was disappearing, leaving his tongue and cheek to ache in reminder of what just transpired. Just for a second, he wanted to dwell in the silence for just one second, but he needed to get a move on eventually; so with a hesitant start, Tamaki spoke up.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did you come to the gardens?" He blinked curiously at the reticent teen. "I would've thought you'd stick with Haninozuka-senpai after I left."

"…Saw her following you."

"Hm?" Tamaki was taken back a bit. He came to check if he was alright even though he made a pretty bad impression on him? That was… nice of him. "How'd you even know she wasn't someone who I was flirting with? Could've just been a rendezvous."

"Didn't seem right." Mori's broad shoulders relaxed marginally until he was sure the threat was gone, choosing to turn to the teen who was still currently sitting on the marble steps. Offering Tamaki a tan hand, Mori easily noticed when the younger boy stuck out the wrong arm, forcing him to switch which hand he offered a making it awkward for the both of them as they used their non-dominant hand. That wasn't what bothered him, though. Trailing downwards, there was moment before his dark eyes flickered in, somewhat grim, realization as he eyed the thin wound silently, something that Tamaki picked up on as he waved his hand casually with a strained smile.

"Ah, this? Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me, so don't feel bad or anything. It kind of pales in comparison to what just happened." Whatever Tamaki was about to say next was cut off as the tall teen approached him, gently taking his cut hand in his while the other rummaged in his pocket.

"Morinozuka-senpai? What're you doing" For a brief moment, Tamaki winced at his wording. Considering how badly things could have gone, the wording was in rather poor taste, but his upperclassman didn't seem to notice, so he covered it with a weak chuckle. "I'm fine, something like this won't kill me."

"It's not okay." Mori's deep voice interrupted his protests, effectively silencing him as cloth met his hand. "I hurt you."

A slow breath released from Tamaki at his reasoning. What a strange reasoning to come find him.

"You… I don't really understand," he admitted with the shake of his head. "You just saved my life and you're worried about a cut? That's a bit of messed up logic there…"

Mori was silent for a second as his fingers nimbly tied off the handkerchief around Tamaki's hand, backing away from him as the younger inspected the silk curiously. "Mitsukuni explained the situation. I was wrong to attack you like that."

"It's understandable. You didn't know." And he did, he truly did understand why Mori would jump the gun. Some random kid is suddenly kissing your best friend/cousin? Of course you'd probably beat the crap out of them. Awkwardly, Tamaki scratched his cheek. "Besides, I was being a bit rash to begin with. I do tend to overdo it at times. Kissing people probably shouldn't be my go-to way to surprise them anyway..."

'Harassment never does look good on a resume,' he thought warily to himself. Maybe he should count his lucky stars that he hasn't been punched yet.

"That's no excuse, I failed to use my discipline and let myself get carried away. I could never make up for the shameful act that I committed." Pausing at that, Tamaki lowered his hand with a spark of understanding.

'This guy…' He gave a sigh before smiling lightheartedly.

"You really are like a samurai, ya know? Talking about discipline and all that, even being unforgivably hard on yourself."

"It's not-?!" Stiffening in shock, Mori's words were cut off as Tamaki's lips left his. They were there for a brief second before receding, leaving Mori in a shocked daze.

"Geez, is this going to become a thing with you two? I even said that I should lay off kissing others, but this seems to be the only way that gets you guys to listen." Taking a breath, Tamaki continued on at the expense of the dizzy Mori. "You guys need to stop being so hard on yourself and accept that you need to relax and enjoy yourselves. Life isn't always about strict rules and posturing, I don't like living by such constricting things anyway." Pausing to look at the roses around, Tamaki let Mori have a brief moment to catch up with the situation before he returned to his monologue unapologetically.

"You can't control everything in life and worrying about every single thing is only going to make life stressful. There's no use feeling guilty if you're already forgiven to begin with, so just accept the fact that I never faulted you to begin with.

"Besides, you're a good guy. I may be an ass, but even I don't have the heart to leave you feeling like crap." Mori's eyes widened slightly, unknown to Tamaki as he folded his arms behind his head.

"But man, you two cousins sure have a thing for saving my skin. Maybe I should just keep you guys around me fulltime. Kyoya did mention I had a thing for trouble." Tamaki joked as he stuck his hands in his pockets with a light chuckle. Turning his blue eyes to the silent teen, he flashed him an easygoing smile. "I won't force you, but I really would like it if you and Hani-senpai stuck around. I like keeping people like you guys around, but that's a story for another time. I've been babbling for a while now. Thanks for saving me, senpai." And with the wave of his bandaged hand, the brunet disappeared around the corner of the rose maze, leaving Mori to stare after him until he heard rustling coming from behind him.

"So, what do you think, Takashi?" Hani's voice was comforting compared to the silence Tamaki left, but that didn't stop his slightly older cousin from subtly teasing him in that weird seemingly non-teasing way. "He really surprised you, huh? Not even a real life attacker can faze you like this."

"Hm…" His dark grey eyes trailed to his side and connected with his cousin's lighter orbs. Hani was right, he had always been more of a listener than a talker, and that tended to give the wrong signals to people. He wasn't used to dealing with others like this, especially not someone as unpredictable as Tamaki Suoh. Blinking, he turned away from his cousin's gaze, staring at the white rose on the ceiling of the gazebo that happened to catch his eye.

"But you know, Takashi… I think that maybe Tama-chan is right in some regards. What do you think?"

Just from the tone of his voice, he knew that his cousin was smiling, something he hadn't been doing as much since he denied himself his pleasures and started acting "manly". He, himself, relaxed slightly and nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah."

* * *

"Come on, Kyoya, I said I was sorry. It's not like I did anything wrong, they just accused me out of nowhere!" Tamaki complained. Unsurprisingly, Kyoya had heard about the drama that surrounded Tamaki and instantly become irate at the brunet. He wasn't really sure how he knew since no one was around to witness it, except for Mori-senpai, but he didn't push it since Kyoya liked to keep his secrets. He suspected that Kyoya had hidden cameras installed in all the places he frequented just so he could see when he fucked up.

"You're an idiot." The glasses wearing boy pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose as he feigned annoyance before the pen in his hand twirled around and started writing something in that black book that he recently started to carry around. "Can I not leave you alone for two seconds without you causing trouble?"

"What can I say? I'm the life of the party." Tamaki laughed as the expression on Kyoya's face grew darker and dodged the swat to the head before he added salt to the wound and rested his arm on his friend's shoulder. "Speaking of party, I heard that Naomi and Ryouta transferred away. Know the reason why?"

Tamaki glanced at his friend as he continued to write, smiling coolly as he did so. "Now, Tamaki, why would I know _anything_ about their departure?" Raising his eyebrows, Tamaki snorted with an amused smirk.

"What a ruthless guy. Good thing you're on my side, Momma bird's scary~"

"Hm? What's this?" Kyoya's murmur brought Tamaki out of his teasing, making him perk up and follow Kyoya's line of sight to two familiar figures. "Looks like you convinced them somehow."

"I at least hope I did," Tamaki straightened himself and shot Kyoya a flat expression before he turned toward the approaching upperclassmen with a smile. "Hello, Mori-senpai, Hani-senpai."

"Heya, Tama-chan," Hani gave a flowery smile as he happily sat on Mori's shoulders, easily towering over the other two teens in the process. Mori settled with greeting them with a simple nod, a small smile in place.

"Hello."

"We've made our decision, Tama-chan!" Hani hummed lightheartedly as he placed his hand on top of Mori's head and rested his chin on them. His cousin easily adopted the good mood that seemed to radiate from the small blond as Tamaki looked satisfied by the developments. With a smug grin, he glanced at Kyoya, making the other scowl.

"Well then, I guess you could say that this is killing two birds with one stone."

"Not another word from you…"

Laughing, Tamaki grinned at the group. Extending his hand, he held up a folded square of silk with a smirk. The two upperclassmen smiled as Mori grabbed the other end of the handkerchief. Out of the corner of their eyes, a small bit of lavender dangled from the end of Hani's bag, matching the cheerful mood as Tamaki's blue eyes reflected the grin on his face.

"Welcome aboard, Hani-senpai, Mori-senpai!"


End file.
